The Bravados (1958)

A man is chasing four outlaws who killed his wife and finds them in a small town's jail, but they escape to Mexico.

Director:

Henry King

Writers:

Philip Yordan (screenplay), Frank O'Rourke (novel)

Stars:

Gregory Peck, Joan Collins, Stephen Boyd

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gregory Peck	...	Jim Douglass
Joan Collins	...	Josefa Velarde
Stephen Boyd	...	Bill Zachary
Albert Salmi	...	Ed Taylor
Henry Silva	...	Leandro Lujan
Kathleen Gallant	...	Emma Steinmetz
Barry Coe	...	Tom
George Voskovec	...	Gus Steinmetz
Herbert Rudley	...	Sheriff Eloy Sanchez
Lee Van Cleef	...	Alfonso Parral
Andrew Duggan	...	Padre
Ken Scott	...	Primo - Deputy Sheriff
Gene Evans	...	John Butler
Ninos Cantores de Morelia Choral Group	...	Choir (as The Niños Cantores De Morelia Choral Group)

Storyline

Jim Douglass (Gregory Peck) has been relentlessly pursuing the four outlaws who murdered his wife, but finds them in jail about to be hanged. While he waits to witness their execution, they escape; and the townspeople enlist Douglas' aid to recapture them.

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Plot Keywords:

revenge | outlaw gang | rape | chase | based on novel | 

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Taglines:

No power on God's earth could stop him from destroying the Bravados one by one...for what they did to the woman he loved!

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Genres:

Drama | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gregory Peck admitted he found it a struggle to get a handle on playing such a hateful character.

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Goofs

There's no San Cristóbal near the Northern border of Mexico.

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Quotes

Jim Douglass: You're wasting a lot of good lumber. A tree does just as well.
Sheriff Sanchez: They were sentenced to be hanged - not lynched!

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Connections

Referenced in I Spit on Your Grave (1978)

User Reviews

King of Directors

Henry King, who directed this picture, had a long and distinguished career that lasted from 1915 from 1962. He directed perhaps as many classic movies as anyone, from TOL'ABLE David (1920) through TENDER IS THE NIGHT (1962). Yet if you look at his sound movies from 1935 on, you will see very little camera movement. Like many of his contemporaries, King set down his camera and let it sit for a while, allowing the movie-goer to make up his mind gradually.

This, however, is a movie of short takes and moving cameras. It might not be apparent to someone familiar with movies shot only in the past twenty years, but watch what happens when Gregory Peck is in the shot: the camera moves like mad to keep him in the frame and you get frequent point of view shots from the character's perspective.

Also watch for the perfectly framed compositions, another hallmark of the directors who started their work in the silent era. A lot of credit, of course, to his regular cameraman, Leonard Shamroy, a great script and marvelous performances.

But that moving camera is not his usual style.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

1 August 1958 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

The Bravados

Filming Locations:

Yucatán, Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Color by Deluxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1